FOR MOMS, MOMS-TO-BE & TODDLERS* +
So must of us these days realize that butter is not the best thing in the world for us. Filled with saturated fat, and made from cow’s that have been pumped with all sorts of drugs, antibiotics, growth hormones, etc. (unless it is organic), there really isn’t too many good things I can say about butter… Except the taste.
While I personally haven’t had butter for a good decade or more, I do know that there are a whole lot of people that are married to the flavor and have no desire to give it up – no matter how bad they know it is for them. Even with all the healthier alternatives out there, butter still is butter, is butter.
That is until Nutiva came out with their new Red Palm products. With the perfect yellow hue, and a deliciously rich taste, whether you want a Buttery Spread to put on your bread, or a buttery taste to amp up your roasted veggies, Nutiva has something that is sure to please.
THE PRODUCT: Nutiva, a line of amazingly delicious organic superfoods, has just come out with 3 new products all featuring Organic Red Palm Oil. Adding to their original Organic Unrefined Red Palm Oil, Nutiva’s Buttery Spread, Shortening, and Sunflower Red Palm Medium Heat Oil make it easier for the home cook to switch out their go-to butter and shortening for an alternative that is not only great tasting, but much better for you as well.
However, as some may know, Palm Oil is a very controversial oil due to the lengths many businesses are willing to go to harvest this commodity. With deliberate burning and logging taking place at rapid rates throughout the lowland forests of Southeast Asia, Orangutans are being forced out of their only natural-born habitat.
In fact, Orangutans are the only great apes found in Asia and 60 percent of their diet consists of fruit found in these regions. Protection of these orangutan habitats is essential to their survival. Scientists warn that orangutans could become extinct within our lifetime if their rainforest homes continue to be destroyed.
Fortunately Nutiva’s Organic Red Palms are grown on small organic family farms in Ecuador, not the above stated regions of Southeast Asia. Besides being certified Organic, Non-GMO and Fair Trade, Nutiva has also partnered with Natural Habitats* to ensure that no deforestation or habitat destruction results from the growing or harvesting process.
*Natural Habitats seeks to empower and support farmers. Committed to the sustainable production of organic and fairly traded products, they also contribute to social development in the community through education and nutrition programs by allocating 1% of sales to social and environmental stewardship programs. Projects have included building a small health clinic and providing sports uniforms for the local youth.
NUTRITION-WISE: Certified Organic and non-GMO, Nutiva’s 4 Red Palm Oil products also have the following characteristics:
Unrefined Red Palm Oil – their original red palm oil is organic and unrefined. It has a mild carrot-like flavor, with a rich, buttery texture. It is solid at room temperature and liquid at 97° F. It’s ideal for soups, sauces and sautéing. It also turns regular popcorn into delicious (and healthy!) movie theater-style popcorn.
NEW! Buttery Spread – this blend of unrefined red palm oil and virgin coconut oil has a delicious buttery flavor and contains no dairy, soy or canola. Spread it on bread, vegetables or rice or use as a 1:1 butter replacement for baking. The vibrant yellow color comes from the antioxidant vitamins A & E naturally found in red palm oil. Virgin coconut oil offers the added health benefit of lauric acid.
NEW! Shortening – this blend of red palm oil and virgin coconut oil has a neutral flavor that is perfect for flaky pie crusts and crispy cookies. The red palm oil guarantees excellent baking results while coconut oil provides the added health benefit of lauric acid. It is solid at room temperature and liquid at 97° F. Unlike other shortenings, Nutiva Shortening contains no trans fats. The vibrant yellow color comes from antioxidant vitamins A & E naturally found in red palm oil.
NEW! Sunflower Red Palm Medium Heat Oil – this blend of sunflower oil and unrefined red palm oil is a versatile, buttery flavored, medium heat cooking oil. The vibrant red color reveals the presence of antioxidant vitamins A & E from the red palm fruit. It is liquid at room temperature. It contains good-for-you monounsaturated fats (omega-9s) and is delicious in salad dressings, sautés, drizzled on popcorn or simply mixed with rice.
Furthermore, while some red palm oils have what might be described as a harsh or strong odor and flavor, Nutiva uses a proprietary cold-filtration process that results in a delicate, buttery flavor excellent for cooking and baking. And while I must note that their Red Palm Oil is not raw – no red palm oil is.
Fresh-harvested organic palm fruit bunches are steamed to release the oil from the fruit, then expeller-pressed to further separate the oil. All palm oil is extracted this way, meaning that there is no 100 percent raw red palm oil. However, this process does help retain the wonderful nutrient benefits.
In fact, Nutiva’s Organic Red Palm Oil contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant-based oil. Palm fruit has a dark red color which comes from carotenes, such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene (vitamin A). These nutrients provide color to vegetables and fruits such as carrots and tomatoes. Red palm oil also contains at least ten other carotenes, including the antioxidants tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E). The end result is a delicious buttery oil with a mild carroty flavor.
WHERE TO BUY: All of Nutiva’s Organic Red Palm Oil products can either be purchased directly from their Online Store, or to find the Retail Location nearest you, please visit their Store Locator.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s been a long time since I have had butter, unless used in small amounts at a restaurant and I am not aware of it. And frankly, I don’t really miss it. However, I will admit that the fact that I know it’s really not good for me has been my main deterrent. I did enjoy butter at one time in my life and truthfully there are some foods that could just use that little extra something…
That is why I am so in love with Nutiva’s Organic Red Palm Oil products. Not only are they great for you, they really do give foods that certain “thing” that only butter used to give foods. Plus, now it’s a lot easier to convince some of my butter-loving relatives that there are other products on the market that will accomplish the same goals.
From pies and cookies, to stir-fries and other veggie dishes, Nutiva has a Red Palm Oil product that is sure to make your love of butter dissipate.
Try one or all of Nutiva’s Organic Red Palm Oil products for yourself and see how easy it is to make all of your at-home meals and baked-goods a whole lot healthier.
For more information about Nutiva please visit their website and check them out on Facebook.
And remember, Contact Healthy.Fit.Fab…Moms today to create a personalized plan so you and your family can live a healthy, fit, and fabulous life!
